Having called London my home for four years, and living in UK for a total of 12 years, it was long past time I write a story based in London. In particular, I want to do the ethnic melting pot that is the UK capital justice. While I have my own personal experience and observation to draw on, a little research will not go amiss, and what I found turned out to be quite fascinating.

While there are a myriads of ethnicity in London, I wanted to spotlight the Chinese and Koreans, whom I have a little more exposure to. Looking back, I regret not including more South Asian representation. Perhaps in my next book!

[toc]British Chinese

Aside from China Town, which you can find in all major cities in the UK from London to Birmingham to Manchester, I never noticed any particular concentration. In fact, there are almost always some BBC (British Born Chinese) in the schools of everyone I know, be it private or public schools.

Some googling has led me to the term of decentralisation. It seems that British Chinese do not have a tendency to congregate, but rather integrate and assimilate. Many married into the local community as well.

My dad’s side of the family are one such group. They are Chinese Malaysians, and my Dad’s older cousin was the first to immigrate as a skilled nurse. She paved the road for the rest and, soon, my dad and aunt also came over to study. My aunt stayed in London while my Dad met my mum and moved to Hong Kong!

British Koreans

Although there aren’t as many Koreans as there are Chinese, they are a tight knit ethnic group. One of the first friends I’ve made in university was a British Korean and I wanted to bring her background into the story.

There is a thriving Korean community in New Malden, nearby which is Kingston, with a strong Christian faith that binds them together. They are the 12th largest group of overseas Korean and most of them immigrated to the area in the 80s.

I’m also a huge fan of Korean food and got obsessed with their side dishes on my trip to Seoul in 2019. Most people are more familiar with Chinese New Year, but Koreans also celebrate the Lunar New Year and their fare are equally as varied and stunning, and deserved to be written in a story beyond people wearing hanbok.

European communities in London

London is famous for being a melting pot of culture, and when it was in the EU, many Europeans had flocked to the UK capital for better work opportunities. While most of them are able to assimilate since they are not people of colours, they also have some of their own issues and form their own communities. I actually wanted to explore this more but didn’t end up having the time or space in the book for more characters, and you can learn more about the two that were cut in my behind the scenes article coming soon.

Where to find Ethnic Communities in London

If you are interested, here are some places where you can find thriving ethnic communities in London (I’ll exclude China Town):

Koreans in New Malden – as mentioned, there is a huge Korean community in New Malden and where you can buy Korean food easily.Jamaican in Brixton – I have only been to Brixton once but the Jamaican food in their market hall are exquisite. Many of them immigrated here after WWII.Pakistanis and Eastern Europeans in Waltham Forest – just slightly further north than declared central, it is one of the most diverse neighbourhood in London.Indians in Hounslow and Tooting – having lived in Hounslow for three years, there are some great Indian Supermarkets here. The same goes for Tooting.

Here are a few articles that I found interesting and helpful if you want to read more about ethnic enclaves in London:
https://strawberrytours.com/london/neighbourhoods/the-multicultural
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-23/a-new-map-charts-london-s-ethnic-diversity-street-by-street
https://londontopia.net/guides/a-guide-to-londons-historical-ethnic-neighborhoods/

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